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Spot the bully

You have never really paid any attention to the matter, but come to think about it employees are calling in sick more often than usual and turnover has been reaching peaks, demands and requests for compensation are on the rise, while the team’s productivity and loyalty aren’t what they used to be. Hate to break it to you but it seems like you are witnessing a serious case of workplace bullying.

Because no, this does not just happen at school. And since May is anti-bullying month, we met with Nour El Assaad, who founded No Label, an NGO specialized in awareness-raising on bullying, in order to shed light on the matter.

As explained by the expert, what makes workplace bullies harder to unmask is their way of operating within the established rules and policies of their organization and society, unlike school bullies who tend to break the rules while doing so.

And although we might think that bullies are usually managers or people who have a certain authority, an employee can sometimes be bullied by his / her peers. Also, little do we know that bullying does not only affect the person experiencing a persistent pattern of mistreatment in the workplace; it also causes other people harm.

As a manager, providing employees with a safe environment should be one of your top priorities. One should therefore always confront bullying and work on creating a workplace environment revolving around team work, cooperation and positive attitudes.

To do so, Ms. El Assaad focuses on the importance of conducting manager awareness sessions because sometimes behavior is there with no knowledge it is considered as bullying. Workshops and trainings helping employees improve their self-leadership and other soft skills is also crucial.

Most importantly, businesses should establish internal no-bullying policies & procedures in order to offer potential victims a structure that can help them make it through this stressful situation.

About No Label

Officially founded in August 2015, the NGO started as a movement on social media launched by Nour El Assaad. She then started going to schools, communities and universities to raise awareness on Bullying.

The individual initiative soon grew to become a small group of volunteers then an NGO 1 year later. El Assaad explains: “We are in the process of creating a pioneer organization against bullying focused on awareness and prevention through soft-skill training for kids, parents and educators. We are proud to have shed light on child bullying, child to child violence and the importance of psycho-social support”.

Next step? To reach more people through online interactive learning tools & “edutainment” for kids.

Thanks to this approach, No Label hopes to create a culture of acceptance, respect & confidence!